Any flatacraft fans?

[JSP]

As you can probibly tell from my recent posts I'm looking at all kinds of boat.
Flatacraft seem to be very reasonably priced. I know there are allot of searider fans on here but how do Flatacraft compare?

[L4RRY]

I nearly bought one without the underside taping. It would have been a £300 repair and the chap could only guaruntee me a single season with the new tape until i'd have to shell out another £300. Later learned that it's a common and expensive problem on Flatacraft boats!

The only other things i know is that they're 'reasonably priced' or cheap, they depreciate and aren't terribly desiarable to own making them difficult to re-sell. Please correct me if i'm wrong, this is only what i've heard!

However, there are plenty of Searider fans on here for a reason :P

P.S are Flatacraft actually still making new boats?

[AndrewH]

Originally Posted by L4RRY

P.S are Flatacraft actually still making new boats?

Short answer: YES - I think

Someone else can fill in greater detail but I'm pretty sure that the brandname has now been resurrected (see details from Seawork exhibition website below)

Company Name: Flatacraft Ltd
Address: Unit 5 Holton Road, Holton Heath Industrial Park
City: Poole
County: Dorset
Postcode: BH16 6LG
Country: United Kingdom
Phone: +44(0)1202 623828

That said I tried to check the flatacraft.com website and only got a holding page whereas when I'd checked it a few months ago it was up and running ...

Your guess is as good as mine

[Nasher]

My Father had one of the first force 4s ever made, and had two more over the years. I ended up with the last one which was great fun with a 55HP suzi triple on the back. See pic below.

It was great fun and Very fast, but not really a rough water boat.

There are a lot of really rough ones about now but they are no more expensive or difficult to repair than others. I actually think they are better boats with the original seating layout.

A couple of guys that JK knows brought the rights to the name etc about 3 years ago, they also brought the domain names off me as I'd had them for a while. They'd built a few small boats the last time I heard, which were aimed at the luxury tender market, and even had one at Southampton last year.
There were plans for a 6.5m which I've not heard anything about.

Has gone quiet for the last year apart from some queries about the domain name registration which had not been transfered properly.

If I could afford two boats I'd have another.

Nasher

[Nos4r2]

There's some pics of the new ones here:-

http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18078

I'd have a f4 as a second boat too-just for really nice days-and I agree with Nasher about the seating. It's quite a shallow boat and the only one I saw with a jockey console looked too easy to fall out of.

[JSP]

What's the underside taping? And is it a big problem with the type of boat?

This is one I've found for sale.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tab%3DWatching

So not an all year round RIB then? That's ruled that out then. Are the 4m seariders better for rougher seas? What ever RIB I get will sometimes be launched out at sea from a bigger boat.

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by JSP

What's the underside taping? And is it a big problem with the type of boat?

I can only think of the strip of Hypalon joining the tubes to the hull.
They were not an issue on any Force 4 I've seen.

Originally Posted by JSP

This is one I've found for sale.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tab%3DWatching

That looks quite nice, one of the cleaner examples left around.

Originally Posted by JSP

Are the 4m seariders better for rougher seas?

As much as I hate to admit it - Yes, every time.

Nasher

[Nasher]

If you go to view a Force 4 check for cracking of the inner deck.
The outer hull molding doesn't appear to suffer, but the lighter inner molding cracks around the footwell.

The other thing to check is the seat frame.
If original it will be made from plywood bolted together which rots badly. I replaced the frame of my seats with a copy I fabricated out of sheet and angle Aluminium.

The original windscreens are no longer available, and tend to crack as people grab them getting in and out. I made several out of smoked 4mm Polycarbonate.

One more thing, the original bent stainless steel tube transom stays are rubbish and need to be replaced with something stronger. Again I welded up my own from thick wall stainless tube and 5mm plate.


If you need to know anything specific just let me know.

I really wish I still had mine as well as my current RIB.
I went for the bigger boat to cruise in with my family, but would like the mad fun of the Force 4 as well.
Beware though, over the years I turned ours over sideways, and flipped it over backwards. easy enough to flip back over though.

Nasher.

[JSP]

Thanks NAsher. very informative!

[Nasher]

No problem.

Have a look here:-

http://www.9elderberry.freeserve.co.uk/flatpage.htm

In one of the images you can see where I repaired the footwell after it cracked.

Nasher

[tinker]

F4 was my first RIB, a fan for that reason only. Although on flat water with a biggish outboard the hole shot was very quick, however on rough water with a biggish outboard the air time was a bit much

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by tinker

F4 was my first RIB, a fan for that reason only. Although on flat water with a biggish outboard the hole shot was very quick, however on rough water with a biggish outboard the air time was a bit much

I had a Flatacraft (5M) 6o yam, and indeed have some fun,but would not put them in the same league as a Searider,which to me is a real sea going R.I.B.While in all honesty the Flatacrafts were limited.
They may well have been the first, and Tony Lee'Elliot,(the designer)was a trail blazer,and we all owe him,and others like him alot,but things have moved on,and if price is not your only criteria,SEA RIDER ALL THE WAY! I am sure you would not regret it.

[Berty123]

I have a force 3 GT, it's my first rib and I have great fun with it.

It's looking tired and one of the tubes goes down after a couple of day's the hull has quite a few dings and It cost me about £200 including a 25HP johnson outboard.

But what FUN, I have to watch I don't stuffit when slowing down as the bow tend to dig in, I am rather large but at WOT the thing just fly's.

Regards,

Martin.

[ribpilot]

Originally Posted by JSP

As you can probibly tell from my recent posts I'm looking at all kinds of boat.
Flatacraft seem to be very reasonably priced. I know there are allot of searider fans on here but how do Flatacraft compare?

Hi,we have an early force 3 which my 11 year old son loves taking out and following us.I have changed the seating arrangement which is so much better,really low and just like a cart feels like your going twice the speed.With a 15 mariner and so light it pulls a skier without any problem.Great fun.

[MagicPowers]

Hi,

I know this is an old thread, but incase anyone's presently looking
at Flatacrafts, I thought i'd throw my experience in!

In the 4m category, where a 4m Avon Searider would equate to
a Flatacraft Force 4 - the Searider is undoubtedly the better offshore
and durable boat. I've had a Searider with a 50hp Evinrude and a Force 4
with a Mariner/Yamaha 55 - though to be fair was probably only putting
out 40hp! I'd go anywhere in the heavier and deeper-V Avon. While the
Flatacraft was more exciting in terms of acceleration and being lighter,
it was very 'slappy and slammy' in any chop.

Although not a practical concern, I must say I loved the Flatacraft for it's
'retro' design features which were way ahead of their time.
I wouldn't say this a fair overall judgement on Flatacraft though - I've also
had a Force 3 GT with a Yam 30, which although smaller than the Force 4,
was actually a much better sea boat with a very deep-V hull. I took this
around Start Point many times (Dartmouth-Salcombe) and it was very
comfortable - in a drysuit mind you!

Going back over 10 years ago, I remember my Dad's Force 6 Flatacraft.
They're rated for 150 hp, and in the name of good fun, he put a Yamaha
200 on it! (I must add, I'm not recommending this - he's very experienced).
And that was from the glorious 2-stroke V6 days. It flew - literally!!!
I remember helping him re-gel the deck and hull one Winter and I recall
transom being exceptionally thick with integrated supports and upon
upgrading the fuel capacity with s/s fuel tanks, I recall the decks being
about 3 inches thick! The tubes were very well made too.
Excuse me, having a nostalgic moment here!

I remember being a passenger on a Force 5 with a Yam 90 a couple of
times during a B.I.B.O.A cruise (are they still going?!) and for a leisure
RIB, it was remarkably comfortable in the rough. It was a Marshan 18
hull if I remember correctly. If a good example of a Force 5 came about
I'd snap it up straight away.
It sliced through chop like an old 7m Ribtec - before they foolishly
increased the beam!

I got excited about the near revival of Flatacraft a few years ago.
I think there was a lot of investment in design and retro-fitting a
jet-ski engine into a luxury tender. With an established brand name
and reputation, I would've liked to see some well built, no frills RIBs.

All those great hull and deck/console moulds must be laying around somewhere!
Any info would be appreciated, incase you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit of a fan.

[dougcrock]

I had a force 6 I bought it in 1989 from an outdoor centre who had abused it It was fitted with twin yam 60s which we eventually changed to 2*75 yams much better we took part in 4 round Scotland events numerous cruises and trailed to Greece Your correct it was very heavy built and basic but great sea boat was fairly dry (as you get older you get bigger and better windscreens) had 3 under (sort off) fuel tanks never had any problems with hull or tube that weren't my fault Always found TLE a gentleman I would have one again as a work dive fishing rib may find time to post some photos

[RodellaRibs]

I have a soft spot for the Flatacrafts after making a set of tubes for them a few years ago. Attached below

I currently have a (to what I believe to be) Flatacraft Merlin? I cant seem to find much information on this model. I am going to be doing a total referb (retro style) on this rib but as of yet I have not had the time to do so. I will post pictures of the Flatacraft "Merlin" later

[MagicPowers]

Hi, cheers for the replies!

Ah yes I remember now, the fuel tanks on a Force 6 sticking above
deck slightly, to be covered by the console and a 'fibreglass box'.
I wish I had some pictures to share!

Nice work on those tubes!
I remember entering a competition in Sportsboat magazine
(in the '90's?!) to win a Merlin with a Tohatsu 60 and ski pole
I'm pretty sure the hull is from a Marshan or Phantom 16?
I think it was quite a late model, much better hull than the
Force 4 / 4 GT which has a full length planing pad - you're
lucky to find one of those! Look forward to seeing some pics

Cheers!

[RIB-Teccie]

The one mentioned earlier with the twin 60 yams, did it have a yellow tube with something like ROC 21 on it??

[dougcrock]

Not yellow grey tubes and yellow hull rassay offshore centre the 21. Was possibly the length I bought it from Rassay